Pierre Poilievre Risks $50,000 Fine With Plan to Skip Conservative Leadership Debate

Candidates, left to right, Leslyn Lewis, Roman Baber, Jean Charest, Scott Aitchison, Patrick Brown, and Pierre Poilievre at the Conservative Party of Canada English leadership debate in Edmonton on May 11, 2022. The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

OTTAWA—The Conservative Party of Canada’s plan to host a third leadership debate in August may be crumbling, with one candidate refusing to attend and another mulling whether it’s really necessary.

The campaign for perceived front−runner Pierre Poilievre announced Thursday the longtime MP won’t take part in the debate, facing the consequence of a hefty fine.